Abstract

(PZT)thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti and electrode stacks with various Pt thicknesses (30–200 nm) by a sol–gel process. The sputter-deposited Pt films showed a (111)-preferred texture irrespective of the thickness. However, a high-resolution x-ray diffraction study of the Pt films showed that the films were composed of three kinds of grains with slightly different lattice parameters. The grains with a bulk-like lattice parameter grew with increasing Pt thickness, which was accompanied with an improvement in the crystalline quality. Accordingly, the crystallization and ferroelectric behavior of the 100-nm-thick PZT films improved with increasing Pt film thickness. However, the PZT films on the electrode showed a deteriorated ferroelectric performance due to the outward diffusion of the Ir (O) onto the Pt surface, which increases the depolarizing field and amount of charge injection by the formation of a conducting phase.